Published in 1927 from survey work originally completed in 1902, “San Gorgonio” is a richly informative United States Geological Survey topographical map of one of Southern California’s most dramatic mountain landscapes. Centered on the high country around Big Bear Lake, it captures the San Bernardino Mountains at a moment when the region was still being measured, classified, and understood through the precise language of federal scientific mapping. At a scale of 1:125,000, the map balances regional sweep with close geographical detail, tracing the relationship between alpine lakes, steep canyons, forested ridges, desert margins, and early settlement corridors. Its title evokes San Gorgonio Mountain, the dominant summit of the area and one of the defining landmarks of Southern California.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined visual vocabulary that made its topographical work indispensable to engineers, explorers, foresters, and civic planners. Contour lines describe the rise and fall of the terrain with elegant clarity, revealing the folded complexity of the San Bernardino range, while watercourses, lakes, and forested areas are carefully distinguished. Big Bear Lake appears as the central landmark, set among ridges, creeks, and basins that explain both its natural setting and its later importance as a mountain resort destination. The cartography is practical yet handsome: a scientific document whose layered information also creates a compelling portrait of elevation, drainage, access, and wilderness.

The map’s geography spans a striking transition zone, from the wooded heights of the San Bernardino National Forest to the dry northern approaches toward the Mojave Desert. Places such as Lake Arrowhead, Green Valley Lake, Old Bear Valley, Jenks Lake, and Cleghorn Lakes mark a landscape shaped by water scarcity and mountain catchments, where every creek and basin mattered. Cajon Pass, one of Southern California’s great natural gateways, anchors the western portion of the region, connecting coastal and inland worlds through a corridor long used for travel, trade, and later transportation infrastructure. The map’s attention to passes, slopes, and drainages makes visible the underlying logic of movement through this rugged country.

San Gorgonio Mountain, Anderson Peak, Strawberry Peak, Bear Mountain, and the high ridgelines around Forest Falls give the map its powerful vertical drama. These elevations are not merely scenic features; they define watersheds, weather patterns, forest zones, and the boundaries between mountain communities and desert expanses. Mill Creek and the many smaller creeks shown on the map thread through steep terrain, revealing how the region’s settlements and recreational sites were tied to dependable water sources and navigable canyons. The presence of San Bernardino National Forest is especially significant, reflecting the early twentieth-century federal interest in conserving timber, protecting watersheds, and managing mountain landscapes under increasing pressure from development.

As a historical document, “San Gorgonio” offers a valuable glimpse of Southern California before the full transformation brought by highways, mass tourism, ski resorts, and suburban expansion. Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead would become iconic mountain retreats, but here they are presented within a broader terrain of ridges, valleys, camps, passes, and forest lands rather than as isolated destinations. The 1927 imprint on a 1902 survey also hints at continuity and change: the geography remained authoritative, even as the human landscape around it was evolving rapidly. For collectors, the map is compelling because it preserves the early federal vision of a region now familiar, but once still being systematically charted.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Big Bear Lake
• San Bernardino National Forest
• Lake Arrowhead
• Wrightwood
• Green Valley Lake
• Cleghorn Lakes
• Strawberry Peak
• Bear Mountain
• San Gorgonio Mountain
• Mojave Desert, northern part
• Various creeks
• Anderson Peak
• Tanglewood
• Pine Lake
• Mill Creek
• Old Bear Valley
• Jenks Lake
• Cajon Pass
• Forest Falls

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey, known for its extensive topographical mapping and geological survey work in the United States.
• Historical 1:125,000 topographical map of the San Gorgonio region in Southern California.
• Originally created in 1902 and published with a 1927 imprint.
• Features a traditional topographical style, using contour lines and hachures to show elevation changes.
• Uses color to distinguish terrain types and water bodies.
• Shows detailed elevations, lakes, rivers, and forested areas typical of the mountainous regions of Southern California.
• Provides insight into early 20th-century geographical knowledge and land use in California.
• Useful for comparing later land use and development patterns, especially in mountain and lake areas.

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.